Percussion device



1967 w. B. CUNNINGHAM 3,299,958

PERCUSSION DEVICE Filed 001;. 2, 1964 '26 INVENTOR M A H 6 m N N. u B Y E L s E W BY ljmemwww ATTORNEY 3,299,968 PERCUSSION DEVICE Wesley B. Cunningham, 2 Morris St., Charleston, W. Va. 25301 Filed Oct. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 400,978 4 Claims. (Cl. 173-135) This invention relates to a percussion device, and more specifically, to a portable hammer means.

In the construction and agricultural fields, need has arisen for portable, readily actuated, power driving means to be employed in working with pipe, stakes, posts, and the like. Various electrical and pneumatic devices have een previously proposed to fill this need and as substitutes for manual hammering, but none has found general acceptance due to expense and/or difficulty in transport of the power source. It is therefore a basic object of this invention to provide a hammer means suitable for driving sign posts into the earth or like employment, which is actuated through connection with a readily available power source. Such power source may, as contemplate-d herein, comprise the vacuum created in the intake manifold of a conventional internal combustion engine.

Another basic objective of this invention is to provide a hammer means comprising a tubular casing with an anvil or impact transmission means at one end, and a piston reciprocating in the casing and striking the anvil to thereby deliver intermittent impacts to an object against which the anvil is placed.

Further objects include the provision of a hammer means susceptible of-manufacture at low cost and employing conventionally available energizing means, and supplying a power hammer of compact size adapted for transportation to remote work sites.

A still further object is to provide an impact means dimensioned to fit within standard openings in stakes and pipes employed in sign constructions, whereby the signs are installed and driven into the ground without visible damage to the stakes or pipes.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a percussion tool constructed and assembled in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, vertical cross sectional view, taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, disclosing the positions of the elements in a different phase of operation; and

FIGURE 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, the percussion device or hammer hereof is generally designated therein by reference numeral 10. The hammer 10 includes an elongated casing 12 having a tubular side wall 14 with an outer side 16 and inner side 18, the side wall defining a casing interior. The casing has an upper end 20, and a closed lower end 22.

Integral with, or fixedly secured to, the end 22 of the casing is a substantially cylindrical, solid anvil member 24, constituting impact transmission means, which includes an outwardly projecting portion 26 of selected diameter, and an inwardly projecting portion 28 located in the casing interior. The upper end 20 of the casing is closed by a cover member 30 with a circumferential sealing flange 32.' The cover- 30 has an outwardly extending, tubular support 34 thereon, which is externally threaded at 36 and defines an air inlet passageway 38 therethrough.

Patent ice A valve cap 40 with a top 42 and having spaced side apertures 44 formed therein, is th-readedly engaged on the support.

Relief valve means for the casing further includes a packing member 46 fixedly engaged in the passageway 38 of support 34 :by threaded connection or other suitable means, and having an elongated coil spring 48 fixed thereto at one end 50. The opposite end 52 of the spring 48 normally projects into the casing as shown in FIGURE 2. A valve 54 seats on the end 56 of the support 34, and has a stem 58 extending through the spring and projecting into the casing with the elements in the FIGURE 2 position.

Holding means is associated with the relief valve means, and includes a holder member 60 secured against the cover 30 within the casing, and having a central opening 62 therein to admit the spring 48 and stem 58 therethrough, and a side opening 64 therein. Opening 64 is co-align-ed with an opening 66 in the cove-r 30, for a purpose described below. The holder member 60 is magnetized and adapted to temporarily hold a metallic object placed thereagainst.

Mounted for reciprocation in the casing interior is a weighted piston 68 of substantially cylindrical form, having an upper surface 70, lower surface 72, and sealing rings 74 on its outer side 76.

A pair of upper and lower band members, 78, 80, respectively, are engaged about the casing, and each has a band portion 82 and a block portion 84. Fixed to the block portions, integrally or otherwise, are inturned upper and lower ends 86, 88, respectively, of an elongated, hollow conduit 90 having a fluid conducting passageway 92 therein. The passageway 92 communicates, at its ends, with openings 94 formed in the blocks, and apertures 96 in the casing Wall 16, the openings 94 and apertures 96 adjacent the lower band having adjacent slots 98 and 100 on each end thereof, as hereinafter detailed. A T- type boss .102 is secured to the conduit intermediate its ends, and preferably centrally thereof, and has a flexible conduit 104 secured thereto. The flexible conduit 104 is operatively engaged with a vacuum creating source, such as the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine of the type conventionally employed in tractors, trucks, and the like, connection being effected by commercially available means. Any suit-able and available pumping means may be employed in place of the engine manifold as a vacuum source.

Contr0l means for the operation of the device comprises a slide valve 106 embodying an elongated rod 108, having end portions 110, 112, and being slidably mounted in co-aligned bores 114, 116 in the blocks 84. Each end portion has a reduced by-pass section 118, 120, and entry ports 121, 122, respectively, adjacent thereto, the ports and by-pass sections being spaced at selected distances from one another such that, when the section 120 is disposed in the opening 94 of the block 84 of the lower band 80, the port 121 is disposed in the opening 94 of the upper band 78 permitting fluid communication to the casing interior; and when the by-pass section 118 is positioned in the opening 94 of the upper band 78, the port 122 is in the opening 94 of the lower band 80.

The slide valve 106 includes an inward arm 1'24 secured to its end 110, having a depending lever 126 thereon. The lever 126 extends into the casing through the coaligned openings 64 and 66 in the cover 30 and holder number 60 mentioned above. The rod 108 has an inward pin 128 fixed to the lower end 112 between the by-pass section 120 and the port 122 which projects inwardly through the slots 98 andand the opening 94 and aperture 96. V

In operationfin employing the device 10 for driving or hammering, such as for driving thepipe section P of FIGURE 1 into the ground, the outer portion 26 of the anvil 24 is positioned against the article to be driven, in this case the anvil portion fitting within the pipe end. The device is activated through connection of the flexible conduit 1% with the pumping source, which results in creation of a partial vacuum in the flexible conduit 104, conducting passageway 92 and casing interior. Thus, since the port 122 of valve 106 is in position to admit ambient atmospheric air pressure (FIGURE 2), the pressure difierential within the casing causes the piston 76 to rapidly rise therein until it reaches the upper end wherein it strikes the spring end 52 and continues against the stem 58 disengaging the valve 54- -from its seat 56 and admitting air through the apertures 44, also striking the lever 126 thus forcing the valve 106 to reverse position. In such reverse position the valve 106 admits air at the upper end about the port 121, the piston being momentarily restrained against downward movement by the magnetic holding means 60. Following the upward displacement of the lever 1Z6, causing the by-pass section 120 of the valve 106 to assume a position in the lower band 80 causing the vacuum to be drawn on the lower end of the casing, the cycle of downward movement is instituted. When sufiicient pressure differential is attained to overcome the magnetic holding means, the piston 76 is disengaged therefrom and its end 72 forcibly contacts the anvil inner end portion 28, the striking force being transmitted through the anvil and against the object to be struck.

Having described and illustrated an embodiment of this invention in some detail, it will be understood that this discription and illustration is offered only by way of example, and that the invention is to be limited in scope only the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1, A hammering device adapted for actuation from a vacuum source, the device comprising:

an elongated, tubular casing including a casing side wall defining a casing interior, the casing having an upper end and a closed lower end;

a substantially cylindrical, solid, anvil member secured to the lower end of the casing side wall;

holding means, including a magnetized holder member mounted in the casing adjacent the upper end thereof; a cover member closing the upper end, the cover member having an outwardly extending, tubular support;

relief valve means, including a cap with apertures therein mounted on the support, a cap member seated on the support to seal the apertures from the casing in its closed position, and spring means urging the cap member to said closed position;

piston means comprising a substantially cylindrical piston mounted for reciprocation in the casing between the magnetized holder member and the anvil;

an elongated conduit member with inturned conduit upper and lower end portions connected to the casing, the ends being secured to the casing, respectively, adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof, and the conduit end portions being in fluid communication with the casing interior;

the conduit member being operatively connected to the vacuum source; an elongated slide valve having an upper portion, and having pairs of by-pass portions and entry portions therein respectively positioned across the conduit end portions responsive to movement of the piston; and

a slide valve upper control lever extending from the upper portion of the slide valve through the cover member and into the casing interior, and a lower control pin extending into the casing interior adjacent its lower end.

2. A hammering device adapted for actuation from a vacuum source, the device comprising:

an elongated, tubular casing including a casing side wall defining a casing interior;

a substantially cylindrical, solid, anvil member secured to the casing side wall;

holding means, including a magnetized holder member mounted in the casing;

relief valve means, including a cap with apertures therein, on the casing, a cap member seated on the support to seal the apertures from the casing in its closed position, and spring means urging the cap member to said closed position;

piston means comprising a substantially cylindrical piston mounted for reciprocation in the casing between the magnetized holder member and the anvil;

an elongated conduit member with inturned conduit upper and lower end portions connected to the casing, the ends being secured to the casing and the conduit end portions being in fluid communication with the casing interior; 7

the conduit member being operatively connected to the vacuum source;

an elongated slide valve having an upper portion, and having pairs of bypass portions and entry portions therein respectively positioned across the conduit end portions responsive to movement of the piston; and

a slide valve upper control lever extending from the upper portion of the slide valve through the cover member and into the casing interior, and a lower control pin extending into the casing interior.

3. A hammering device actuated from a fluid pump source, the hammering device comprising:

an elongated, substantially tubular casing including a casing wall defining a casing interior;

impact transmission means secured to the casing in cluding a work contacting outward portion and an inward portion within said casing interior;

conduit means with portions connected to the casing at two spaced apart locations;

the conduit means being in fluid communication with the fluid pump source and the portions being in communication with the casing interior;

temporary piston holding means mounted in the casing at a location remote from the impact transmission means and above both of said portions of the conduit means;

normally closed relief valve means on said casing adjacent to and above said temporary piston holding means;

a piston mounted for reciprocation within the casing interior between the holding means and the inward portion;

valve means operated in response to piston reciprocation to alternatively open and close each of the portions of the conduit means to create pressure differentials on opposite sides of said piston effecting said reciprocation; and

the holding means restraining the piston from movement during pumping until a pressure differential of sufficient magnitude to overcome the holding means is created thereby causing the piston to be forcibly driven against the impact transmission means.

4. The invention of claim 3, and:

spring means associated with the relief valve means and contacted by the piston when the piston is held by the holding means to permit the introduction of ambient pressure to the casing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 643,467 2/1900 Carpenter et al. 9'l-34l 648,820 5/1900 \Vetzel 9l-341 3,146,835 9/1964 Hornstein 173-48 3,216,329 11/1965 Peterson 91-641 FRED C. MATTERN, 111., Primary Examiner. L. P. KESSLER, Assistant Examiner. 

3. A HAMMERING DEVICE ACTUATED FROM A FLUID PUMP SOURCE, THE HAMMERING DEVICE COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY TUBULAR CASING INCLUDING A CASING WALL DEFINING A CASING INTERIOR; IMPACT TRANSMISSION MEANS SECURED TO THE CASING INCLUDING A WORK CONTACTING OUTWARD PORTION AND AN INWARD PORTION WITHIN SAID CASING INTERIOR; CONDUIT MEANS WITH PORTIONS CONNECTED TO THE CASING AT TWO SPACED APART LOCATIONS; THE CONDUIT MEANS BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE FLUID PUMP SOURCE AND THE PORTIONS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CASING INTERIOR; TEMPORARY PISTON HOLDING MEANS MOUNTED IN THE CASING AT A LOCATION REMOTE FROM THE IMPACT TRANSMISSION MEANS AND ABOVE BOTH OF SAID PORTIONS OF THE CONDUIT MEANS; NORMALLY CLOSED RELIEF VALVE MEANS ON SAID CASING ADJACENT TO AND ABOVE SAID TEMPORARY PISTON HOLDING MEANS; A PISTON MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATION WITHIN THE CASING INTERIOR BETWEEN THE HOLDING MEANS AND THE INWARD PORTION; VALVE MEANS OPERATED IN RESPONSE TO PISTON RECIPROCATION TO ALTERNATIVELY OPEN AND CLOSE EACH OF THE PORTIONS OF THE CONDUIT MEANS TO CREATE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PISTON EFFECTING SAID RECIPROCATION; AND THE HOLDING MEANS RESTRAINING THE PISTON FROM MOVEMENT DURING PUMPING UNTIL A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO OVERCOME THE HOLDING MEANS IS CREATED THEREBY CAUSING THE PISTON TO BE FORCIBLY DRIVEN AGAINST THE IMPACT TRANSMISSION MEANS. 